HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN MENHADEN. 439 



33. Never have seen any that have died from sickness or disease. 



34. The nets are made of cotton twine, and purse up at the bottom. 



35. Nets are from 120 to 140 fathoms long, and from 10 to 15 fathoms 

 deep, according to the depth of water where they are used. 



3G. Fast sailing sloops and sloop-yachts, of from 20 to 25 tons bur- 

 den, for the men who find and capture the fish, and sloops (lighters) 

 of from 15 to 30 tons burden to carry the fish away. On the coast of 

 Maine steamers are used in place of the yachts and lighters. 



37. Eleven men and two boys to each net. The boys assist on the 

 lighters. 



38. All day, from daylight to dark. 



39. The tide makes no difference with them. 



40. Sometimes it does; usually they are moving to the windward 

 when on the surface. 



41. We have 12 sloops, and 50 men employed on them; also from 15 

 to 25 men employed in each factory. If the fish come in plentifully, we 

 increase our working forces. 



42. The fish are taken directly after being caught to the factory, and 

 placed immediately in large tanks, and boiled by steam until thoroughly 

 cooked and the flesh will separate from the bones when taken out of 

 the water. Some are made into sardines, which are pronounced the 

 best in the market. 



43. The George W. Miles Company have the two largest factories ; 

 these are in Connecticut or New York State. One is a floating factory, 

 and is moved to the locality where the fish are most plentiful : the 

 Welche's Point Oil Company, with one net and three sloops; Fowler 

 and Colburn, of Guilford, two nets and 6 sloops. 



44. The largest quantity of oil we ever made at one factory in any 

 one year was in 1871 ; we then made 100,000 gallons in about 50 work- 

 ing days. The largest quantity in the shortest time was 21,000 gallons 

 of oil in 72 hours, or 7,000 gallons per day of 24 hours. This unusual 

 quantity of oil was owing to the fatness. of the fish. We made in 1872 

 00,000 gallons of oil; in 1873, 105,000 gallons at the two factories, one 

 factory not being in operation the whole season on account of the delay 

 caused by lawsuits brought by some malicious and designing persons 

 for purposes of gain. A part of the season was thus lost, and the quan- 

 tity of oil was less than what it should be. 



45. The capacity for oil is limited by the facilities for capturing the 

 fish; the nets and vessels engaged must be the best, and the men with 

 large experience are required to make the business successful. 



4G. Boilers cost from $2,000 to $4,000; two hydraulic presses, with 

 curbs and fixtures, cost $2,000 each; engines, i)umps, shafting, pulleys, 

 &c., range from $10,000 to $50,000. 



47. In 1873 the price for fish ranged from $1 to $2.50 per thousand, 

 according to the yield of oil. 



48. We have worked fish when they would not make over one gallon 



